About Patrick Scullin

Patrick Scullin, adman, wordsmitty, and marketing philosopher king

Empathy is the ability to understand the feelings of others; it’s placing yourself in someone else’s shoes. Science proves it’s critical for happiness. Unfortunately, empathy is in short supply in these techno-obsessed days.

Being empathetic is an art, one essential for marketing success.

This blog is written by Patrick Scullin, founding partner and chief creative officer of Ames Scullin O’Haire Advertising in Atlanta. I’m from a family of nine children, so, I had to learn how to empathize for survival.

I’ve also worked at some of the country’s best ad agencies before starting my own. Each agency had its proprietary (and convoluted) process for how to make great ads. Our business is forever trying to become more scientific, but effective ads work on an emotional level, which is more art than science. My experience and gray hairs have taught me one thing–– empathy and creativity are the most critical skills for effective communications with humans.